HIV/AIDS care giving physicians: their experience and practice patterns

Abstract

To identify associations between HIV-related experience and patterns of service provision, physicians across Canada were solicited by mail to register in a national network of HIV/AIDS care givers. Respondents provided data about: personal, demographic and practice characteristics; the number of HIV-positive patients ever seen; the nature of the HIV-positive client population; and services provided to HIV-positive patients. Univariate techniques provided a demographic and professional profile of participating physicians. Logistic regression was used to identify associations between level of HIV-related experience and the provision of patient services. The 566 registered physicians have provided care to 56,378 HIVinfected persons and represent every province and territory in Canada. Multivariate analysis revealed that highly experienced physicians were more likely to provide all 3 types of services considered, to practise in Montreal, Vancouver or Toronto, and to < be medical specialists (all P 0.001).